https://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/how-to-make-a-flaming-smores-cake • Posted by Icing Insight
I’ve got toasted marshmallows, marshmallow frosting, chocolate sponge and fiery, fondant flames, what more could you want in life with weather like this?
I’ve got toasted marshmallows, marshmallow frosting, chocolate sponge and fiery, fondant flames, what more could you want in life with weather like this?
Preheat the oven to 180C/160 fan and line 3, 7-inch cake pans with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together 3oz of self raising flour, 1oz of cocoa, 4oz of butter, 4 oz of sugar, 2 eggs and 3 tbsp of boiling water. Pour the mix into one of the lined pans. Repeat the process twice more for the remaining pans. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the pans and leave to cool. When cool, wrap in cling film and place in the freezer over night.
Prepare 3 large sheets of parchment paper on your worktop to place the flames on while drying. If you can’t leave them on the worktop overnight, line 3 large baking trays so that you can move them when you’re finished. Dust the worktop with icing sugar and roll out the yellow fondant as thin as you can before it starts to tear. Using a knife, carefully cut out 40-50 small flames. It’s really important that we work quite fast here because we need to finish each entire flame before the fondant starts to dry. If you’d rather not rush, it's totally fine to work in smaller batches. Every time you cut a flame, move it to the parchment paper. Next, roll out the orange fondant super thin. Line the yellow flames on top of the orange, leaving gaps between each to cut around.
Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten the yellow into the orange, be careful not to over stretch the fondant. Cut around the yellow to create the orange flame. Repeat this process with the red fondant. When cutting the red fondant, the border should be very thin. Finally, use any remaining orange and yellow fondant to make miniature flames to hide any white gaps later. Leave these to dry overnight somewhere cool and dry.
The following day, remove the sponges from the freezer 1-2 hours before you start decorating. Freezing them overnight will help the frosting set quickly and prevent any bulges later. Prepare the frosting by adding 2 pasteurised egg whites and a pinch of salt to a heat proof bowl, leave to sit for 20 minutes. The salt will help stabilise the eggs. After 20 mins, add 200g caster sugar, 1 tbsp white vinegar and 80ml of water. Whisk over a pan of boiling water for 7-10 minutes until stiff peaks form. Leave to cool.
When the cakes are ready, layer them with a generous amount of frosting between each and then cover the entire cake in a thin coat of frosting. Place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes. When the cake has chilled, cover the whole thing in a thick layer of frosting and smooth the sides.
Lightly toast the marshmallows under a grill/broiler until they are a light brown and place on top of the cake. Arrange the large ones first. Fill any large gaps with a piece of chocolate and then, completely cover any smaller spaces with the mini, toasted marshmallows
Lastly, place the flames all around the sides of the cake. Two layers of large flames and then add in the mini ones wherever the white frosting is showing through at the bottom. When attaching fondant to fondant, a small spot of frosting on the back will help it stick. And you’re done! The perfect cake to warm your bones on these chilly November nights.